Your electricity connection has a legal limit. Exceed it, and BESCOM charges penalty rates. Here's what every property owner in Karnataka needs to know.
Sanction load (also called sanctioned load or connected load) is the maximum electrical load that BESCOM has approved for your connection. It's determined at the time of connection based on your application, the wiring installed, and the transformer capacity available in your area. It appears on your electricity bill as "Sanctioned Load" in kW.
| Connection Type | Typical Sanction Load | Supply Phase |
|---|---|---|
| 1BHK apartment | 2–3 kW | Single phase (230V) |
| 2BHK apartment | 3–5 kW | Single phase |
| 3BHK / independent house | 5–7 kW | Single phase or 3-phase |
| Villa / bungalow | 7–15 kW | 3-phase (415V) |
| Small commercial shop | 5–10 kW | 3-phase |
| Small factory / workshop | 20–100 kW | 3-phase HT/LT |
Your sanction load determines your tariff category, the size of your meter, the rating of your service cable, and the maximum current your MCB (miniature circuit breaker) at the meter is set to. If your actual load exceeds the sanction load, the MCB may trip, or (if the MCB is oversized or bypassed) the service cable may overheat.
Look at your BESCOM bill. The "Sanctioned Load" field shows the approved load in kW. You can also check at the BESCOM consumer portal (bescom.karnataka.gov.in) using your RR number (account number). The meter card at your meter box also lists the sanctioned load and the MCB rating.
Maximum demand is the highest average power (in kW or kVA) drawn from the grid during any 15-minute or 30-minute interval in a billing period. Smart meters and electronic meters record this automatically. MD matters primarily for commercial and industrial (C&I) connections, but is increasingly relevant for high-consumption residential connections.
MD is not the instantaneous peak — a 5-second AC compressor surge doesn't register as MD. It's the sustained average over the measurement interval. If your AC, water heater, and washing machine are all running for 15 consecutive minutes, that 15-minute average is a potential MD value.
For LT (low tension) commercial connections and all HT (high tension) connections, BESCOM charges both an energy charge (₹/kWh consumed) and a demand charge (₹/kW or ₹/kVA of maximum demand). The demand charge applies to the higher of:
This means you pay a demand charge even if your actual MD is lower than 75% of your sanctioned load. You're paying for the capacity BESCOM reserved for you.
If your recorded MD exceeds your sanctioned load, BESCOM applies penalty charges. The penalty is calculated on the excess demand — the difference between your actual MD and your sanctioned load. The penalty rate is typically 1.5× the normal demand charge rate for the excess portion.
Example: A commercial connection with 10 kW sanction load records an MD of 13 kW. The excess is 3 kW. If the normal demand charge is ₹200/kW/month, the penalty is 3 kW × ₹300/kW (1.5×) = ₹900/month additional charge.
BESCOM can also issue a notice to either reduce your load or apply for an enhanced sanctioned load (which involves paying a one-time additional security deposit and potentially upgrading the service cable and meter).
For HT consumers and large LT consumers, BESCOM measures power factor (PF). If your power factor falls below 0.90, a penalty is applied: typically 1–2% of the energy bill for each 0.01 drop in PF below 0.90. A power factor of 0.85 incurs a 5–10% surcharge on the entire energy bill. Conversely, a PF above 0.95 earns a rebate of 0.5–1% per 0.01 above 0.95.
Solar inverters connected to the grid typically operate at unity power factor (PF = 1.0) or can be configured for leading/lagging power factor. A grid-tied solar system that offsets load from the grid also reduces the reactive power draw seen by the meter, improving the measured power factor.
| Monthly Consumption (kWh) | Rate (₹/kWh) | Fixed Charge (₹/month) |
|---|---|---|
| 0–50 | ₹4.10 | ₹60 |
| 51–100 | ₹5.55 | ₹80 |
| 101–200 | ₹7.10 | ₹100 |
| 201–300 | ₹7.80 | ₹110 |
| 301+ | ₹8.15 | ₹120 |
BESCOM residential tariff (BJ/BJY category). Rates are approximate and subject to KERC revisions. Additional surcharges (FPPCA, wheeling, tax) apply.
The slab structure is progressive — higher consumption pushes you into more expensive slabs. A household consuming 400 kWh/month pays ₹8.15/kWh on the top 100 units, while the first 50 units cost only ₹4.10. Adding an AC or an EV charger that pushes consumption from 200 to 400 kWh/month means those additional 200 units cost ₹7.80–8.15 each — nearly double the base rate.
Solar drops you into lower tariff slabs. A 3 kWp rooftop solar system generating 400 kWh/month reduces your grid consumption from 500 kWh to 100 kWh — dropping you from the ₹8.15/kWh top slab to the ₹5.55/kWh slab. The savings aren't just the 400 kWh avoided at average rate — they include the slab shift on the remaining consumption. With battery storage, you can further reduce grid draw by consuming stored solar during evening peak hours, keeping your grid consumption in the lowest slab consistently.
If your actual power needs exceed your sanction load, you can apply for an enhancement. The process involves:
If the local distribution transformer is already at capacity, BESCOM may reject the enhancement or require you to fund a transformer upgrade — which can cost ₹2–5 lakh for a new DT installation.
Solar generation during daytime directly offsets grid demand. If your sanction load is 5 kW, your AC draws 1.5 kW, your water pump draws 0.4 kW, and miscellaneous loads add 2 kW, your simultaneous grid draw is 3.9 kW. Add a geyser at 2 kW and an iron at 1.2 kW during the same 15-minute window, and your MD hits 7.1 kW — exceeding your 5 kW sanction load.
With 3 kWp of solar generating during the daytime (when the geyser and iron are typically used), 3 kW of that load is served by solar. Net grid demand: 7.1 − 3.0 = 4.1 kW — within your sanction load, no penalty.
With battery storage, even evening loads (AC + cooking + lighting) can be partially or fully served from stored solar, keeping your grid MD consistently below your sanction load.
Key fields to understand:
Solar + storage reduces your grid draw, avoids MD penalties, and drops you into lower tariff slabs. We'll show you exactly how much you save.
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